Oxidation of lignin model compounds using Fe(III)meso-tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphine chloride and Fe(III)meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphine.

Abstract

Recently there has been a significant push for the use of biofuels over traditional fossil fuels with the goal of developing a dependable and environmentally friendly energy source. One of the major hurdles to the development of this energy source is the resistance of biomass to degrdn. Ionic liqs. have shown promise as solvents for the dissoln. of cellulose and lignin and therefore have the potential to assist catalysts as they breakdown the components of biomass. Combining the ability of ionic liq. solvents to dissolve lignin with the reactivity of metalloporphyrins could overcome many challenges in the full utilization of biomass to biofuels and valuable commodity chems. To this end, we have studied the use of metalloporphyrins in ionic liqs. for the dissoln. and oxidn. of lignin. In this study lignin model compds. were oxidized via metalloporphyrins, specifically Fe(III)meso-tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphine chloride and Fe(III)meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphine chloride. Results and recent developments will be presented. [on SciFinder(R)]